


Thirst

by UmpBumpFizz



Series: Second Heat [2]
Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alpha Ben Solo, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, As if anyone could suceed with that with Ben around, Attempted Sexual Assault, Ben knows it and he is here for it, Ben might end up with a small harem, Betas too, F/M, Healthy Relationships, No such thing as a permanent mating bite here folks, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Nonmonogamous Relationship, Omega Rey (Star Wars), Protective Ben Solo, Rey's cool with it, Rose has a big ol' crush on Ben, Rose has no idea what she's in for, That shit just makes omegas super horny, Work In Progress, Worry not: Rey still gets plenty of action in this fic, who needs a gland
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-08
Updated: 2020-12-09
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:02:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27947231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UmpBumpFizz/pseuds/UmpBumpFizz
Summary: Five months after meeting and mating, Rey and Ben are in a serious if non-monogamous relationship. While she's busy fighting a losing battle trying to actually enjoy dating and hooking up, he's finding himself wanting to acknowledge the crush Rose has on him that's been growing since the day she found him and brought him to Rey. Happily mated or no, once he knows she wants him, it gets harder and harder to simply ignore. He knows he intimidates her, but if she's thirsty for an Alpha, well...The fact that she's a beta is irrelevant.
Relationships: Ben Solo & Rose Tico, Rey/Ben Solo
Series: Second Heat [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2046704
Comments: 17
Kudos: 20





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'M BAAAAACK BITCHES.
> 
> Either my writer's block has cleared up or I'm just too horny lately to keep this crazy shit inside my head. In any case, here you go. I swear I'll try to keep it going now that I've started.
> 
> Also, just to make things clear, since I feel like I failed pretty hard at that when I chose tags and wrote the description: Rey and Ben are the romantic couple in this fic, and Rose is a friend with benefits. I have no plans for an "Oops, we intended on no romance but one of us is falling for the other" twist to the plot, nor do I plan on any jealousy drama that threatens to tear them all apart. I'm just trying to go for a representation of a healthy non-monogomous relationship, where everyone has everyone else's best interest in mind and any conflict that comes up is resolved with communication and good-faith efforts. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

"Not impressed."

Ben smirked, his eyes turning skyward for a moment. Of _course_ she wasn't impressed. She hadn't been impressed with the last two, either. True to his word, he had insisted that sexual exclusivity was off the table for the time being. She was simply too young to get caught up in romance to the point of tying herself down, and though he had certainly fallen deeply in love with her he still wasn't particularly interested in limiting himself, either. Thus, non-monogamy was the name of the game.

"No? Not measuring up?" His inner Alpha purred with smug satisfaction. Of course he hadn't measured up, there was never even a contest. A younger, less experienced Alpha might have been jealous, fearing that his omega would find someone better and never come back. Ben, however, knew for a fact that there was no danger in letting her have some fun. He _knew_ he was the superior Alpha, knew he was better than any of his rivals. Alphas, betas, it didn't matter how many she experimented with. She'd _always_ come back to him. Holding his phone to his ear in one hand, he yawned and stretched luxuriously in the shade of a tree at the park across the street from her apartment, which he spent most of his time at (they hadn't talked about it yet, but both of them knew he likely wouldn't be renewing his lease once it was up). Of course, at this point Ben's idea of fun was turning out to be Rey's idea of a giant annoying hassle. She'd been all for it at first and had even had one night of enjoyable sex with a beta, but at this point she was starting to sour on the adventure, well ahead of his expectations.

"No, not really. He's just... I don't know, why are these Alphas around my age such aggressive assholes? He was arrogant and bragging up a storm the whole time we were there. What's worse, he called a lady a 'stupid bitch' simply for bumping into him on our way out of the coffee shop. Put me right off him. He didn't like being called out on it either, called me a few very impolite things as well, and tried to get all menace-y, you know, back me against the wall like he could actually intimidate me. Fucker."

Ben raised an eyebrow, alarm bells going off even though Rey had clearly handled it herself. "I mean, if he's not in rut then he's just a dick. Losing your head to the hormonal shitstorm during your first few years of ruts is one thing, but he's got no excuse right now."

"No, but he does have a fresh set of claw marks on his face to explain to everyone he knows."

He cackled. Ah, how he loved her take-no-shit attitude. "Atta girl. You headed home now? Pretty sure I just saw Rose let herself into the building, did you invite her over?" Rose had keys to Rey's apartment long before Ben ever did, so it wasn't surprising to see her waltz right through the door even if neither of them were home.

"Shit! Yes, I did. She wanted to go out for lunch, but we couldn't decide where to meet so she said she'd just come by and we'd figure it out. Traffic is awful, they've got the roads here all torn up. Might be a bit."

"No worries, I'll go keep her company."

"Behave, mister. Don't toy with her, it isn't fair."

"Yeah, yeah."

\------------

She nearly jumped out of her skin when she turned around to see him closing the door to the apartment, and Ben immediately backed off, held his hands up and shushed her. "Woah, hey, hey... It's just me." He straightened back to his full height, watching the furious blush crawl over her face. "God, I'm sorry. I thought you'd already be here, and then you weren't, and... then you were. So." He resisted the urge to smirk. Rose was often a stammering mess around him when they were alone. She'd been afraid to admit it to herself for weeks and to Rey for much, much longer, but she'd never forgotten their first interaction, when she'd sought him out for Rey as he descended into the throes of his rut. The heat in his eyes, the fingers of one hand wrapped around her wrist while the other trailed up her arm. Rey, to her immense relief, had been amused rather than angry about it and hadn't betrayed her best friend's trust and let it slip to Ben. Truth be told, she hadn't needed to. It was glaringly obvious from the way she cast her eyes down and bit her lip around him when she was sober and went all googly-eyed and giggly when she wasn't. He knew 'You're scary and intimidating but I've somehow never felt safer or more turned on than when you're around' when he saw it, and Rose had it written in neon letters across her whole face. Rey reluctantly confirmed it when he asked, since it was clear he already knew.

The poor dear.

His instinct to settle her, to put her at ease won out over his insufferable penchant to be a smug bastard, so he quietly shut the door. "You're alright. Here for Rey?" He moved away from the door so he wasn't between it and her, opting to sit at the table instead of towering over her in the kitchen. She visibly relaxed.

"Yeah, but she just texted me to let me know she'd be a while. I guess her date was a dud, huh?"

"She ran him off with his face scratched up after he tried to menace her." 

Rose beamed. "Attagirl!"

He huffed a small laugh. "That's what I said." He went on, wanting to keep the conversation going to spare Rose any awkward silences. "I think she's getting tired of it, honestly. She had one good lay with that beta and it's been disappointing sex and lame dates ever since."

"I think you're right. Rey was never particularly boy crazy, even back in high school."

"No?" He leaned back in the chair with his hands behind his head. "I'm surprised they weren't chasing her around the block every time she went outside."

"They were. That's what put her off them."

Ben laughed. He knew he probably shouldn't, but this time his bastard side won out. He gave her a sidelong glance, once again sporting a smirk. "Bet they were after you, too."

It had the intended effect. Rose turned back into the kitchen to hide her blush, pretending to look at the takeout menus stuck to the fridge with magnets. "Well, I mean... no, not really. I was... I don't know. Kind of a late bloomer. Hey, think Rey will want Five Guys?"

It was only amusing for a second, really. Then he just felt guilty for unsettling her. _Shitty Alpha. You upset her, you did exactly what your mate asked you not to do. Shitty, terrible Alpha, you know better, you know better, you know better but you did it anyway-_

He let her steer the conversation back to food as he stood and gently shooed her out of the kitchen, pulling the menus (none of which were even _for_ Five Guys) down and handing them to her to finish looking through and nodding toward the living room. "Go on." Being an Alpha, most anyone save for rival Alphas tended to simply allow themselves to be directed by him, especially when anxious or unsure what to do next. Rose was no exception; she obeyed him without question. Ben stayed in the kitchen. "She does love giant burgers, not to mention bags of fries big enough to fit her whole head into if only I'd let her eat like a savage."

She actually giggled at that, and he breathed a sigh of relief even if guilt still ate at him a bit. Maybe it was time to talk to Rey about Rose again. 


	2. Chapter 2

Ben relished Rey's happy sigh as he slid into her. Far too distracted to join them for lunch and reasoning that he'd had a big breakfast anyhow, he'd simply busied himself with Reddit on his tablet until she returned. He was on her the second she walked back into the bedroom from the shower. She probably hadn't needed one, since she hadn't let the other Alpha touch her and had been over an hour at lunch with Rose, but they tried to show basic courtesy regarding other people's scents to the other. She'd come back frustrated and hungry for action after almost every date, and this one was no different. His lizard brain lit up with delight and satisfaction as he took her. 

_Good Alpha, better than the rest. She came back to you for what she needed, none of them could do it, none of them can keep her interest. You're better, far better than any of them. She's yours, she's yours, always yours_ -

He growled, leaning down to nip at the gland at the back of her neck, causing her to cry out and push back against his body, pulling him deeper inside her. He hadn't bothered with trying to make her come before hand, he knew she'd want him inside her as soon as possible, his weight pushing her into the mattress and his teeth at her gland. He had no problem getting her there during sex anyhow, provided one of them could get their hands between her legs. It didn't matter which, really; he'd often let her try and then take over if she couldn't get the right angle in whatever position he had her in. It was not long before she had her first, and he wasn't about to let her stop at one. She'd had her second less than a minute before he knotted her and gave her the last one.

Being knotted, to Rey's delight, *did* produce an instant orgasm outside of the spell of heat; the sudden pressure just inside her opening triggering her body to tense and grip him in the best way it could, to clamp down and claim him just as he filled and claimed her. What's more, he often shuddered, growled, and released another jet of spend during a lengthy period of aftershocks, something she had barely noticed while she'd been in heat. It was a perfect end to every one of their couplings. 

They laid together with her back to him long after he'd slipped out of her and gone completely soft. They'd long since started keeping towels in the bedside drawer to throw down beforehand, so there was little reason to move until he inevitably made her get up to pee. For now, she contentedly played on her phone, wide awake despite having both her belly and her cunt filled within the last two hours. She startled when he spoke, apparently having assumed he himself had fallen asleep.

"How was lunch?"

She snuggled back against him, her focus still on her phone. "It was good. We ate all the fries."

He snorted, reaching up to run his fingers through her hair. It had the intended effect; Rey hit the lock button just before her phone slipped from her hand and thumped on the bed. Her happy little coo confirmed that he'd wrested her attention back. "The whole bag? How are you still moving?"

"Have you met me?"

He snorted again, leaning over to bury his nose in the back of her head, eliciting another delighted coo. "How was Rose?"

"She was fine. Why, was she all weird while you waited for me? She didn't say anything."

"It's not getting any better, Rey. It clearly isn't going to. And I'm getting overwhelmed trying to ignore it. I couldn't resist teasing her a bit earlier, but seeing her rattled over it made me feel awful."

To his relief, Rey chose to ignore the fact that he'd disregarded her admonishment not to toy with Rose. "Well, there's only one solution then. Can't have this affecting the both of you this badly."

"You know it's not that simple. This isn't banging a relative stranger and then scrubbing her scent off before you can smell it. She's your best friend, and she's around all the time. The fact that she's a beta is the only saving grace." It was true. Another Alpha would butt heads with Ben and fight him for the right to see to her during her heats, and another omega would grate on Rey and pull his attention away during them, at least until their estrus cycles inevitably synced and they'd both need his services at the same time. That wasn't unheard of, but it was far from ideal and hey, Ben wasn't getting any younger. He was happy to leave that nonsense to the porn stars. No, a beta was the only option for anything more than casual hookups.

"I'm not particularly worried, Alpha. You know what you're doing. As long as we're all communicating with one another and keeping everyone's expectations in line, I think it'll work out fine."

His inner Alpha preened at the compliment, but his higher functions had their doubts. "That's just it, though. Rose can barely look me in the eye. We have yet to even have a real conversation about _anything_ , much less something like this. Pretty sure she'd go catatonic like Troy with Levar Burton if I tried to bring this up. I mean, does she even know I know?"

She laughed at the Community reference, imagining Rose having the same wide-eyed response. "She doesn't, or she'd be too embarrassed to even show herself to you. I can talk to her and feel her out. If she puts up any resistance, we'll shelve the whole thing and see if she warms up to the idea in time. And I hope she does... I can't stand the idea of her distancing herself from both of us because she's hung up on you, and I hate to see her wanting anything she can't have."

Imagining Rey's heartbreak at losing her friend was almost too much to bear, and he had to admit that he'd miss her too. Not just because she amused him and boosted his ego, it had become much more than that. Even though they weren't close emotionally or physically, he saw her often enough that his primal side had subconsciously started to include her in his little circle of '*responsible for, must keep an eye out, must keep safe. Not mate, not blood, but still yours to look after*'. Losing her would rattle them both, and badly. 

"I know, me too. Is she romantically interested, or does she just want to fuck me?" The former would bring its own layer of complication.

"She's not in love with you, as far as I can tell. When she admitted the attraction she insisted that it wasn't about wanting to join us as some sort of triad or have you to herself. She clearly found the idea of acting on it at all overwhelming, even though I told her I'd be on board. I think she just wants you to do terrible and wonderful things to her and leave her breathless."

His inner Alpha preened at that, too. "Find out for sure. Either way, we need to tread carefully, and move slowly if she does want to do it. And make sure that she actually believes you when you say you're on board. If she doesn't, she'll never come around."

"Yes, Alpha." 

Satisfied for now, he gave her a gentle shove toward the edge of the bed. "Good. Now get up and go pee before you end up with a UTI."

\----------

The next day, Ben left the apartment and went to lounge once more in the park, this time in the late afternoon sun. Rey had invited Rose to drop by under the pretense of a movie night, knowing that they'd only end up engrossed in their conversation once she brought up Ben. In the meantime, he shed the hoodie he was wearing and stretched out in the grass, bunching the jacket up and wedging it between his arms and his chin. His eyes slid closed as he relished the way the light warmed his raven hair, causing him to shiver in delight and snuggle further into the soft fabric. The term "alpha" generally made people think "wolf", but Rey had pointed out soon after getting to know him that he was more like a lazy male lion who frequently enjoyed a snooze in the sun. It was true, for the most part, but like any lion watching over his pride, he was always vigilant. Even while dozing, his eyes frequently opened just enough to sweep them across the vast expanse of grass and over to their apartment building. Ahem, *her* apartment building. For now, anyway. It was both instinct and habit, and anyone familiar with Alpha behavior would know that he wasn't just keeping warm. He was keeping watch, and they'd better keep their distance. Thus, the shady-looking fellow following a few steps behind Rose as she walked down the street toward the apartment building did not escape his notice. He lifted his head, focusing on the man. Hood up, clearly following Rose, cell phone in hand, aimed upward at an angle. Ben was already up and closing the distance when he realized the guy's goal: Rose was wearing a skirt. 

Oh, no. _Not on his fucking watch._

It was hard to tell whether it was Mr. Upskirt or Rose who was more surprised when Ben slammed into him from the side, taking him to the ground briefly before hauling him up by his collar and shoving him hard into the hedges at the edge of the sidewalk. "Back off, _asshole!_ " The idiot was too shocked to even respond, he merely stared at Ben wide-eyed as he tried to extract himself from the bushes and gather himself to his feet. Ben advanced on him with a snarl. " _Beat it!_ " That got him running, unfortunately with his phone still in hand. No matter; his focus was immediately on Rose once the threat was neutralized. He quickly bustled her away even as she babbled confusedly at him, intent on getting her inside where he and Rey could look after her. 

"I don't know what just happened, what did he do? What happened?"

His tone was clipped and no-nonsense. "Hush, beta. You're safe. You're alright."

"But what _happened_?!" She was becoming frantic, and Ben switched gears, his instinct driving him to calm her. He softened his voice to answer her questions, reminding himself to use her name.

"He was behind you. Trying to upskirt you. Fucker had his phone out and aimed."

She tried to stop dead in her tracks, but he goaded her on. "What the _fuck_ , he has pictures of me?!"

"No, no," he soothed, his hand on her lower back, pushing her to keep walking. "He was too far behind you, never got the chance. I got him before he could catch up enough. I've got you, Rose. You're safe." His hands were shaky and hers even shakier, so instead of fumbling with keys he slammed the button on the intercom. Rey buzzed them in immediately, and they made for the stairs. Rose was cooperative by now, allowing herself to be guided by Ben up to the apartment door, which Rey was craning her neck out of with a look of confusion on her face. She blanched and ran to Rose the second she saw them, knowing something was wrong, and he ushered them both back toward the door, unwilling to relax until they were inside and settled.

So much for "movie night".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the scene from Community mentioned above:
> 
> https://youtu.be/MhOG3XwX9Yw


	3. Chapter 3

  
Rey was already getting the story from Rose as Ben shut and locked the door behind him. Rose, to her credit, was shaken up but relatively calm, all things considered. Rey, on the other hand...

"What the entire fucking _fuck_?! God, I wish I'd been there. He wouldn't have fucking survived." She paced back and forth, venting her spleen as Rose paced next to her, her head in her hands.

"Seriously, I knew that it was a thing but I never fucking thought it might happen to me. I wish he'd dropped his stupid phone so I could smash it. God knows how many pictures he's got of other women."

Ben couldn't stay still either, checking the lock on the door and moving to the windows to look out each one in turn. The guy was clearly long gone and would have to have a death wish to show his face anywhere near their neighborhood again, but he was still agitated and needed an outlet. "Probably wouldn't matter, I'm sure he's got his sick little collection uploaded to a cloud server somewhere. Cops aren't gonna do shit without it, of course, but they're useless half the time anyway." He paused long enough to start closing the blinds, eager to make the space feel less exposed, still feeling the need to be doing _something_. "He didn't get any pictures of you though, Rose. Not anything he was after anyhow. He was three or four paces behind you when I stopped him, nowhere near close enough."

Rey had moved into the kitchen and was reaching into a cabinet. "Cocoa. I'm making you your favorite, right now. Pick out a mug. You need chocolate." She shut the cabinet door almost as as soon as she'd opened it, however, growling in frustration. "Oh, God _fucking_ dammit, we're out." She glanced back at the door and started toward it. "Fine. I'm going to go get some, and some whipping cream to go with it." 

Every alarm bell Ben had started banging and clanging the instant he realized she was about to leave the safety of the apartment, and he reacted without thinking. "No, you're not going anywhere," he snapped. " _Stay where I can see_ _you!_ " He winced almost immediately. Rey was generally good about taking orders, even if she snarked at him about it. But he knew she would not take kindly to him raising his voice at her while giving her one. Fuck. When he turned to look at her, she was standing with her hand on the doorknob, her eyes cold and her tone deadly serious. "You want to try that again, Solo?"

The fact that she'd dropped "Alpha" in favor of calling him by his last fucking name was a gut-punch. _Stupid, careless Alpha. You've handled this terribly, absolutely terribly. Wretched, terrible Alpha, she's angrier at you than she's ever been. Fix it, fix it, fix your dumb mistake-_

"Rey, I just-" She cut him off almost immediately, leaving the door and stomping toward him. 

"You are _not_ the only one here who has the right to look after her, and if you think for one second-"

He'd intended to defuse the situation, "Solo" still ringing in his ears and cutting him to the bone, but being interrupted was one of his biggest pet peeves. With the tension in the air already rising to a crescendo, he simply snapped. He started toward her, towering over her and raising his finger to point at her. "Don't. Fucking. Interrupt me." 

That's when shit got weird.

"Oh my god, _shut up_ , you two!" Rose had stepped in between them, apparently having lost her own temper. "If you guys are just going to fight over this stupid shit, I'm walking right back out that door, and if _you_ try to stop me," she said, whirling on Ben, "I will never speak to you again."

Holy _shit_. Ben could only blink down at her. Shy, demure little Rose had actually stepped up and got in his face, her eye contact unwavering. She was actually fucking _poking her finger into his chest_ , scowling up at him. He'd never even seen her angry before. It knocked him completely sideways.

Rey, of course, recovered almost instantly, her angry expression turning smug. She knew Rose had won her this battle. Ben huffed, knowing it was best to relent. The threat had long since passed; he knew he was being an idiot about letting her go. Still angry, he shot her a look, nodding toward the door. "Go. Be quick and stay alert." She marched past him and out of the apartment without a word.

His pacing began anew. His Alpha brain was screeching conflicting orders at him, and for once he was the one who was rattled. _Your omega_ _might be in danger, and you let her go! Go after her, stupid Alpha, keep her safe! No, she's mad because you tried to keep her here! You're making too big a deal of it, let her go! The beta needs to be comforted, comfort her! No, the beta is angry at you too, has probably lost all desire for you. Leave her alone, stupid Alpha!_ * He tangled his fists in his hair, growling in frustration. If he hadn't been such a dick to Rey, she would have stayed long enough to calm him down. But she was gone, and there was no omega to soothe his frazzled nerves. No, there was only a very angry Rose, who was a beta, and a beta couldn't do it, could never-

"Alpha."

At first, he wasn't sure he'd heard it. Ben stopped short, slowly turning around to blink at her, once again momentarily speechless. God damn, Rose was just full of surprises today. It appeared that she'd surprised even herself, if the return of her stammering was any indication. "I'm sorry, that probably crossed a line, I just... it was the only thing I could think of. I'm sorry!" All the stress crammed into the last fifteen minutes had finally caught up to her, and she was starting to lose her composure. Seeing her start to cry put Ben back on track, allowed him to regain control of himself, and within seconds he was at her side, pulling her into his arms. She stiffened, and Ben had just enough time to wonder if she was now sporting Troy's confounded, wide-eyed expression before she relaxed, tentatively lifting her arms to wrap around him. 

"You did nothing wrong, little beta. You didn't cross any lines, you were trying to help, I know. It just... doesn't really work that way. It's the omega's pheromones that have the calming effect, not just being called 'Alpha'." 

She sniffled, her face still buried in his chest. "I mean... it did work though. So."

Well fuck, she was right. She had single-handedly thwarted what would have been an explosive fight between him and Rey, and had succeeded at calming him in her absence. He didn't have time to dwell on it, though; she had started shaking again and was clearly still fighting tears. God, what a fucking afternoon. "I'm sorry I yelled at you," she whimpered, her voice breaking as she finally started to sob. He knew what to do. He scooped her up and sank backwards onto the futon with her in his arms, taking a moment to shush her and get her settled before reaching over for a blanket to wrap around her. This time, he could see her face, and he tried hard to contain his laughter when he saw that she was, in fact, channeling her inner Troy Barnes. He knew it. 

"What is happening?" she breathed, and he shushed her again, tucking her head under his chin. "Relax, Rose. You're safe. You're here with us, and you're safe."

She started to squirm a bit. "But Rey will be back, and..." 

He kept hold of her, stilling her. "And she won't be angry at you for being in my lap. I mean, she'll probably still be pissed at me, but not for this. You know how things are with us, little beta. She'd have my hide if I _weren't_ comforting you, and I'm already in the doghouse after that performance." _Stupid alpha. Too old to be this hot-headed, too experienced to have bungled things so badly. Should have fixed it, but instead made it worse, worse, so much worse-_

Rose sniffled again, scrubbing at her eyes and snapping him out of his self-deprecation. "She won't stay mad at you. She loves you." She paused here, seeming to think for a second. "Maybe order some pizza though, just in case."

Ben huffed a laugh, reaching for the side table where his tablet rested. "Yeah, good call."

\----------

Far from being angry or even looking surprised when she stepped back through the door to find her best friend snuggled up with her mate on her futon, Rey simply walked over to push Rose right back into Ben's grasp when she tried to escape, looking oddly smug. "Nope. You stay right where you are." She'd left her wide eyed yet again in his lap, moseying into the kitchen with a bag containing a fancy pouch of cocoa mix and a carton of heavy whipping cream. Ben smirked at Rose. "Your face is gonna get stuck like that." She responded by sticking her tongue out at him in a remarkably Rey-like fashion before settling back down against his chest. Ben hummed contentedly, finally able to relax a little. Rose was now comfortable enough to snuggle and banter with him, and Rey was in an unexpectedly good mood upon her return, despite the fact that the pizza hadn't even arrived yet. He'd take it, but he still thought that maybe he ought to hang back and tiptoe around in the shadows until they were settled and it was a good time to apologize.

So, he waited on the futon with Rose in his arms until the intercom buzzed, heralding their dinner's arrival. Ben gently shooed her out of his lap and to her feet, quickly tugging the edge of her skirt down for her as she stood, but rather than leap up to answer the door he opted to keep his mouth shut and allow Rey to handle it. He let her and Rose 'ooh' and 'aah' over the open pizza box on the kitchen counter for a moment before getting up and stepping into Rey's line of sight with his hands in his pockets. She met his eyes and stared expectantly at him. He dropped his and approached. 

"Hey. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have let things get so out of hand. Wasn't my finest moment as an Alpha." Rey caved almost instantly when she saw how deflated he looked, stepping over to throw her arms around him. "Ben, you are an amazing Alpha. You're allowed to lose your shit every once in a while. I shouldn't have taken it personally, I knew you were just on high alert and I got pissed off and acted out instead of doing my job and calming you down. Wasn't exactly a proud omega moment for me, either."

Rose was dangling a gooey slice of pizza over her mouth, chomping away at the melty cheese that was oozing off the end. "Seriously, Ben, you're a great Alpha. You totally fuckin' nailed that guy today. I don't even know where the fuck you _came_ from."

"He was in the park across the street. Dozing in the sun, more than likely."

"That is precisely what I was doing, yes. I saw him following you and could tell what he was up to," He shrugged, reaching for the pizza box. "The sun seemed less important."

Ben took the pizza over to the coffee table while Rey grabbed plates and a few napkins. She glanced up at the cupboard containing all her glassware. "What do we want to drink? Water? Soda?"

"Bourbon," was Rose's flat response. Ben chuckled as he settled back down onto the futon, making sure to put himself square in the middle so that both girls could be close to him. "Indulge her, Rey. She's earned it." Rey beamed. "Bourbon it is!" She pulled her bottle of Buffalo Trace off the shelf and set it down next to the pizza.

Before long, all three were stuffed and the girls were both getting tipsy. Ben generally preferred to stay sober whenever they drank in order to keep them from getting too wild. This time he allowed himself a mild buzz, reasoning that it had been a while, and that there wasn't any harm in it as long as he drank slowly enough. Once they were good and giggly, he leaned over to grab the bottle, placing it well out of their reach to end any shot at unlimited refills. Rey had Rose toss the remote across the couch to her, but they couldn't figure out what to watch. After some back and forth, which Ben stayed out of, Rose's eyes settled on Rey's Nintendo Switch. "Dude, let's play Mario Kart!" Rey squealed in delight at the idea, and Ben rose and silently grabbed the controllers from the basket sitting next to the TV before settling back in between them to enjoy their antics. He knew it wouldn't take them long to start getting drowsy.

Once he noticed Rey's controller slipping out of her hands (while Rose leaned heavily into his shoulder trying to finish the race on her own), he stood and put the Switch into sleep mode. Rey tried to argue, insisting that they were still playing, but he merely shushed her and went to fold down the futon into a bed before pulling up Disney+ and putting on the first suggestion he saw, which happened to be Sleeping Beauty. By the time Maleficent had cursed the infant Aurora, both girls were asleep. Rey was curled against his back with her face between his shoulder blades, her go-to sleeping spot. Rose, to his delight, had stretched out along his front, right up against him. He refrained from slinging an arm over her, figuring that it might be too much for her to wake up to, but he did tuck the blanket up under her chin before turning his attention back to the TV. She and Rey still had an important conversation ahead of them, but at least now he suspected the idea would seem much less daunting to her. The movie could run, the volume was low anyway and the remote was too far away for him to reach without disturbing them. He soon drifted off to the melody of Aurora's singing as she walked through the forest, his Alpha brain back on his side again. 

_Good Alpha. Everyone is fed, warm, safe, sleeping soundly. Good, reliable Alpha can rest, can let his guard down now, can sleep. Everyone is happy, everyone is getting along and behaving. Strong, irresistable Alpha... the beta will wake up wanting him more than ever._


End file.
